Aberdeen has been crowned the most beautiful city in Scotland - for the 40th successive year.

The Granite City, a regular Britain in Bloom winner, claimed the Scotland in Bloom city award.

The judges highlighted clean streets and hanging baskets. There were also category wins for Forres, Duffus and Dyce.

Lord Provost Peter Stephen said everybody in Aberdeen should be "proud" of all the wins since 1968.

He said: "This is a credit to our gardeners, our officers, our businesses and our local residents, who all do so much to make Aberdeen bloom.

International visitors

"Our success, however, should not just be measured in terms of medals and trophies and certificates. Of equal importance is the sheer pleasure that a sparkling city, bursting with colour, brings to citizens and visitors alike."

Meanwhile, the number of overseas visitors to Aberdeen has grown by more than a third.

There were 190,000 international visitors to the city in 2006, 37% more than in 2005.

It puts the city in the top 20 most popular UK cities for the first time.

The figures from the Office of National Statistics have been welcomed by the local branch of the tourism agency VisitScotland.